700 Labels Fight YouTube With “WIN”

Recently, we reported on YouTube’s monstrous pimp hand in regards to fair licensing practices with indie labels. Now, those indie labels that YouTube tried to shit on are fighting back.

Due to YouTube’s bold tactics to ensure the best for their upcoming streaming music service, over 700 indie labels came together for the “Fair Digital Deals Declaration.” The declaration is overseen by the Worldwide Independent Network,aka WIN, with the sole purpose of “supporting the independent music community through interaction with representative trade organizations and groups.”

Labels like 4AD, Sub Pop, XL, Ninja Tune, Rough Trade, and more have signed the declaration, so you can be assured that you’ll be hearing more about this.

The “Fair Digital Deals Declaration” consists of five objectives:

1. Ensure that artists’ share of download and streaming revenues is clearly explained in recording agreements and royalty statements in reasonable summary form.
2. Account to artists a good-faith pro-rata share of any revenues and other compensation from digital services that stem from the monetization of recordings but are not attributed to specific recordings or performances.
3. Encourage better standards of information from digital services on the usage and monetization of music.
4. Support artists who choose to oppose, including publicly, unauthorized uses of their music.
5. Support the collective position of the global independent record company sector.

WIN also created a 10-point “Global Independent Manifesto” that focuses on independent labels and how they should be given market access comparable to Sony, Warner, and Universal. The manifesto also mentions that copyright claims from small labels “should be valued and remunerated at the same level as a major company copyright.” Way to fucking go indie labels.